This invention relates to fishing line release mechanisms. In particular it relates to release mechanisms which hold the fishing line at some depth in the water on a control cable which is held down by a heavy weight. These arrangements are commonly referred to as downriggers.
Prior art release mechanisms for downriggers and the like are exemplified by the following U.S. Pat. Nos. Re. 25,650; 3,916,557; 3,930,330; 4,028,837 and 4,221,068. A common disadvantage to the prior art devices is that they do not isolate the desired release force attributable to a fish from the other forces on the mechanism which are attributable to line drag and vary with speed, depth and line size. Accordingly, premature release by these other forces is common. Another common problem is the great difficulty in making proper adjustment for the release tension. Still another disadvantage among the prior art devices is the requirement of special hardware attached to the fishing line after release. Yet another disadvantage among the prior art is the awkwardness and difficulty of retrieval of the fishing line.
One object of the present invention is to provide a fishing line release mechanism which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the description and claims which follow taken together with the appended drawings.